Chater 15: God save the Queen
"We need to fix this." Jack said as he pulled out of Sam's hug. Sam gave him a confused look and Jack placed his hand over Sam's collarbone, right where the wound was, the same one that connected Sam to Chuck, that allowed him to siphon his power. "This. We need to fix this."
"I'm fine." Sam said dismissively, huffing a laugh as he stepped back.
"No, you're not." Jack said sadly. "It is killing you, just like… Like what you told me about the trials? You remember? The trials to close the gates of hell. It's the same. It's the same kind of power, too much for you to wield." Jack said.
"No. No, but I'm fine. I am." Sam said, he was convinced it was the truth. " This isn't like the trials. It isn't." He added, looking up at Dean. "It's not the same, I was in pain then, it hurt. This… This doesn't feel like that. This… It's not killing me."
"That's because someone else is taking the blow." Jack's voice was so small when he said it, and he really didn't want to deal with the emotions behind that all, so he looked up at Sam, hoping that he would understand. Sam's face went pale and Jack could see protest and denial already forming on his lips, waiting to hear that it was impossible, but the words never came. Instead Sam looked down on his hands and stared at them for a moment as Dean walked closer to them. It seemed like he wanted to hug his brother too, or give him some form of comfort, but he didn't know what to say, so he just lingered close.
"I… I think I need a minute." Sam finally said and looked over them all. Dean nodded and Sam nodded back, then turned towards the dorms. Dean sighed and turned to the rest of the room. Only then did Jack notice there were a few people there that he didn't quite recognize, but he heard enough stories to recognize them.
Of course, he knew Rowena and Gabriel, even if they didn't seem to remember him. Still, it was good to see them, Gabriel especially. He was his uncle in a way and Jack always wished he could have had the time to get to know him better before the archangel was killed in the apocalypse world.
There was also Crowley, and Jack didn't just recognize him by the dark, twisted soul within the vessel, he recognized the cunning eyes and the classy suit he always heard about. The demon also died before Jack could meet him, taken by the apocalypse world as well.
And then there was Bobby. Now Jack knew Bobby and he was ashamed to say that he didn't like that Bobby much, but this wasn't that Bobby, this one was the original. The one that cared about Sam and Dean, that knew them and loved them. And Jack was eager to meet him.
"Alright everyone… Um… Take 5?" Dean said, suggested? "I'm gonna go make some lunch."
"I'll help." Cas and Crowley said in unison and Jack watched amused as Cas turned a deathly glare at the demon.
"Fine. I'll just pop down to hell and wait til you need me again." His tone was filled with annoyance and dismissal, and Jack blinked and the demon was gone. Rowena and Gabriel walked away together in the direction of the dorms and Dean and Cas went towards the kitchen. The only one left was Bobby, with a lore book in his hand, and it didn't seem like he wanted to leave the library and all the knowledge it had.
"Hello." Jack said with a smile and Bobby took a good, long look at the kid, with squinted eyes and then just nodded before turning to look over the books. "Find anything interesting?" Jack asked and Bobby turned towards him again, blinked, then looked around like he wasn't sure the kid was talking to him.
"Yeah, I um… There are a lot of… Stuff." Bobby said awkwardly and then just stared at the kid for a few moments. It seemed like he was uncomfortable and wasn't sure why Jack chose to speak to him, but then after a second, he sighed and kind of sagged. "This is all a bit out of my paygrade. But it is still amazing, all this knowledge."
"It is. Back, um… Back in the future, Sam and Dean, they um… Developed a bit of a network with other hunters, they shared information." Jack said and Bobby huffed, almost a smile, then ducked his head and sniffed. It occurred to Jack, remembering their story about the family business, that in a way, they followed in Bobby's footsteps too, not just John's. They didn't just do the hunting, they also helped others hunt and Jack couldn't help but think that Bobby was proud of them.
"That's um… That is good. Those boys did good. Or will do good." Bobby frowned, then shook his head. "I am still stumped. There are things here… Things I didn't even know could exist. And on top of that, they can deal with… So much. There is a cure for becoming a vampire, they could revert a newly changed werewolf. The angel and demon lore alone… They could extract grace, or cleanse a demonic soul. It is… It is a lot. But amazing."
Jack nodded and smiled. Even speaking to this Bobby, it felt different. He used to spar with the other one, the one from the apocalypse word and that one always seemed too rough, too tough, and while this Bobby seemed like that too, there was a certain softness to him.
Suddenly, a loud buzzing sound filled the room, the lights flickered in red, but toned down immediately. A voice came over a speaker somewhere close.
"Mayday, mayday. Is there anyone out there? Please respond." One voice said, while another, female voice hissed behind "You idiot! Those haven't worked since the World War 2."
"I have to try something." The voice replied and spoke into the radio again "Mayday, mayday, Anyone out there, please respond?" There was an urgency in the man's voice, panic even, and both Jack and Bobby made eye contact before going around the corner to the War room. One of the walls was littered with machines with buttons and dials and one of them had a speaker, from which the voice sounded.
"Mayday, mayday, is there anyone out there, please respond?!" There was some loud banging in the background and people shouting before it cut off. A moment later, it turned on again, the man probably trying to call for help when his voice was interrupted by the same woman from before.
"For goodness sake, Michael, stop playing with that ancient thing and come here and help us! There is no one listening, no one on the other end, you fool!"
Jack reached and flipped a switch.
"We hear you. What assistance do you need?" Jack said and he could almost feel the shock on the other side that someone actually answered.
"Oh." The voice said and immediately went into agent mode. "We are under attack. The vampires, they are everywhere. We are outnumbered, they already took down half of our people. We need help." The man said, and Jack could hear the woman hissing in the back about how he was being an idiot, how whoever answered couldn't really help. Having heard the alarm, Sam and Dean and Cas came into the War room, just in time to hear the woman shouting around on the other side. Jack glanced at them and then turned back to the radio.
"We will help. Tell us your location."
"Do not give them our location, Michael, that is an order!" The woman hissed, but the man ignored her. "London chapterhouse 5. Please hurry, we can't hold them off for long."
"That's under the senate library." Sam commented needlessly, because Jack already knew where they were, zeroing in on their location based solely on the voice on the radio.
"I can get us in." Jack commented and Dean nodded, then hollered for them to take on weapons. Bobby followed Sam and Dean, the three of them finding the machetes, while Cas simply stood there. Jack gave him a small smile, he could sense his father wasn't as weak and tired as he remembered him. Castiel was at full power and he could just smite the vamps one at a time.
"All right, let's go." Dean said as they came back, weapons at ready. Jack nodded and set his hand on Bobby's and Sam's shoulder while Cas set his on Bobby's and Dean's, completing the circle. One moment they were standing in the war room, the second they were in a sort of a storage room, with Ketch and Tony pressing against a door, growling and banging on the other side. Dr. Hess was standing to the side and Mick was by an ancient console, the two looking dumbstruck.
"Calvary had arrived." Dean announced and turned to the door. "Ketch, catch." He said grinning and threw his spare machetes his way. The agent frowned at him as he caught the weapon mid air, then shared a look with Toni. Hair messed up, eyes wild and her own weapon clenched in her hand, she glanced back at the newcomers and huffed before she nodded. "Let them come." Dean said as everyone took a stance. Ketch and Toni jumped out of the way and joined them right as the doors busted open, first dozen vampires spilling inside.
Sam, Dean and Ketch immediately decapitated three as they rushed in while Cas simply laid his hands on two and instantly burned them inside out. Toni missed her first, but she served as a good distraction for Bobby to take a swing and let the vampire head roll away. All of them immediately took in the second wave of vampires, while Jack stepped aside and blasted away the third wave, giving them time. A few times Ketch frowned at Dean, obviously seeing someone who matched him, but he seemed confused at how easily they worked together, how the hunter could just nod or give a small tell, and Ketch would immediately know what to do.
Toni took a few hits too much, so Bobby yelled at Mick to pull her away, saying he would hold the rest off. But just as three vamps rushed their way, Jack stepped in and smote two while Bobby took down the third. The bodies were starting to pile up while less and less vamps came through the door, so Dean gave a signal for them to move out. The next room was bigger, with open space and about two hundred more vampires scattered around. The group managed to kill about two dozen before a loud voice boomed across the room.
"Enough!" The room cleared and from the crowd stepped out a tall african-american man. Jack could feel him to be a vampire too, but there was something deeper about his power, much more ancient. He was the alpha. The first vampire.
"Well, well, it seems we have more company." He said, eyeing the group. He looked dignified, but even Jack could see that he didn't expect this turn of events. And while Jack assumed he would try and establish his dominance and superiority (which was ridiculous considering who he was facing), he was pleasantly surprised to hear the Alpha acknowledging they were worthy opponents.
"I know you do not belong to this group, as you are most definitely hunters then gentlemen of letters. As I do not want to see more of my children's blood spilled, I offer a truce. We will let you live and allow my children a peaceful existence in this country." The Alpha offered.
"You are insane if you think…" Dr. Hess tried to speak, but Dean threw her a look and she scoffed at him, but stopped talking.
"We have a better offer for you." Sam said, stepping closer. "Those of you who wish to live, you may. All we ask is that you try and live a better life and not harm a single human. Those who want to continue being monsters, you can stay here and die with your leader."
"Such big words for a mere human." The Alpha said and Sam smirked.
"Pretty big for a mere human that already killed you once." Sam replied and the Alpha gave him a confused look before he shook it off.
"You have no means to stop us all." The Alpha said dismissively.
"Actually, I do." Sam replied and Jack frowned. If Sam truly attempted to eradicate all vampires from existence it would be a really big strain on his body, mind and soul, not to mention it might even kill Lucifer who was helping Sam channel it all. Thankfully, Sam had another thing on his mind. "But I don't really need to stop them all. I just need to stop you. Sever the serpent's head and the body goes taut."
"I think you have me confused with Satan." The Alpha mocked, but was clearly getting uncomfortable by the developing situation.
"No. I'm not." Sam replied and took a breath. Suddenly the alpha gasped then looked down at his hands. Every vein was pulsing, prominent and dark and the alpha looked up sharply, his eyes wide and terrified as his dark veins reached his neck. He opened his mouth to speak his last words, but he only managed a choking sound before black blood gurgled over his lips. Within a few seconds, he was dead, laying in the pool of his own blood.
"As for the rest of you." Sam said, turning to the vampires. " You can leave and live the rest of your lives on animal and donated blood, or you can die here today. The choice is yours."
"You cannot do this!" Dr. Hess thought it would be wise to stand in Sam's way.
"We killed you once before too." Sam said, a roundabout warning that made Jack smile even if he was worried about Sam. It was a cool comeback and the way Dr. Hess paled at that was just so satisfying to see. All the vampires started retreating slowly, and the group watched them leave until not a single one was left.
"Well. I can't say I ever expected to be rescued by the savage American hunters." Toni said, fixing up her hair and her skirt.
"You people definitely need to learn to show some respect and gratitude. Especially you, Lady Bevell." Dean said, sounding Toni's name in mock British and watched with satisfaction as her eyes grew wide. "What? Did you really think you're the only one who knew things?" Dean asked. It was obvious the British knew who the Winchesters were, even if they didn't knew the whole entourage (they really couldn't know about Jack or Lucifer within Sam).
"Now, now. Let's all just take a moment and cool down, shall we?" Ketch stepped in. "We are all still a bit shaken from the fight and not to mention that most of our operatives are dead, but nevertheless… We thank you for coming to our aid." He said and offered Dean his hand.
To that Dean shook his head and huffed a laugh. "Kissass."
"How is it that you know about us?" It was Mick's turn to ask, curious and if Jack remembered, the most honest and direct of all of them. "And while we are at that - how were you able to do that?"
"Doesn't really matter." Sam said and paused, frowning. He seemed to be thinking something over and he looked at Dean, one of their silent conversations passing between them, before Sam continued. "If you ever need help with something big, you know where to find us. Otherwise, stay out of our way."
And that was their cue. Jack and Cas came closer and were just about to teleport everyone out of there when an alarm sounded. Mick rushed to a computer nearby and clicked and typed something, then lifted his widened eyes up at the guys. "The States were just engulfed in darkness that… It paralized all life. But… It seemed to have dissipated as it reached the shores. What in the bloody hell did you do?"
"We didn't do anything." Sam replied and gasped, clenching his fists painfully as he managed to grit out "God just released his sister."